Celebrating Catskill Waters

Our 2015 exhibit explored the past and present of Catskill Waters. Fishing fans and all ages enjoyed the incredible history, artifacts, and more.

exhibit display wall featuring a map that shows where water comes from

Where does the water come from?

Rondout

The Rondout starts between Rocky Mountain and Balsam Cap, receiving water from many springs and streams. It drops about 1,440 feet before it meets a small outlet stream from Peekamoose Lake. Several other tributaries merge with the stream before reaching the Rondout Reservoir and after leaving the Rondout Reservoir the stream continues through the Catskill and Shawangunk Mountains to the Hudson River at Kingston.

Beaverkill

Starting between Graham and Doubletop Mountains, the Beaverkill flows west for forty-three miles until joining the East Branch of the Delaware. The Beaverkill joins the Willowemoc at Junction Pool, and the union of these two well known trout streams is the symbolic center of Catskill fly fishing.

Willowemoc

A twenty-six mile long tributary of the Beaverkill, the upper Willowemoc is perfect for raising Brook Trout. The lower section (between Livingston Manor and Roscoe) is a large stream of forty to one hundred feet wide.

Neversink

Both the East and West Branches of the Neversink originate at Slide Mountain, running parallel to each other and joining at Claryville. Varying in width from ten to forty feet, in some places the Neversink flows through long, narrow valleys with steep sides and rocky ridges.  It has fewer curves and eddies than other Catskill Rivers.

Delaware

The West Branch of the Delaware River starts near Mount Jefferson in Schoharie County and the East Branch above Grand Gorge in Delaware County. The two branches merge near Hancock and flow 255 miles to the sea. For seventy-five miles from Hancock to Port Jervis, the upper Delaware is a long series of rifts (rapids) and eddies (deep pools). The Delaware River forms the entire boundary between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and part of the boundaries between Pennsylvania and New York, and between Delaware and New Jersey.

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More Past Exhibits!